Domestic washing machines



Wal. TER f'lmA/Tz.

w A FRANTZ DOMESTIC WASHING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1928 June 17, 1930 61H0: neuf June 17, 1930.

Filed 'June' l1928 Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE"- WALTEE. A. EEANTZ, or' CLEVELAND-HEIGHTS; on'ro, AssIeNoR To THE APEX ELEC- 'riucAL nANUEAc'rUmNG coMrANY, oE CLEVELAND, omo, A CORPORATION or Application filed .Tune 25,

chine it has been customary to secure in the tub bottom a plane bearing sleeve rising some distance above the water line of the tub, for the shaft that supports and drives the agitating element. With this arrangement itis not necessary to lmaintain a liquid seal at the bearingto prevent the escape of water from the tub, as the bearing is. located above the water line.

Another construction commonly resorted to is the use of a shorter shaft, the bearing of which is located wholly below the waterline, in combination with packing means to prevent the escaping of water from the tub through the drive shaft bearing.

With either of the above arrangements, it is customary to have the agitator removably connected to the shaft so that it ma be removed by simply lifting it 0H the sha t end. This connection is commonly made by splining the end of the shaft and forming complementary splines in a central recess formed in the agitating element. Where the splines are formed directly on the shaft, it is necessary to have a very large shaft to prevent undue wear on the spline, which in time allows the agitator to become loose, causing the machine to become noisy and have a considerable amount of vibration at this point. v

This latter objection has been overcome by castin an enlarged tapered and splined head on t e driving shaft that automatically compensates for wear by allowing the agitator to assume a lower position-as head becomes worn, maintaining for an indefinite time a tight driving connection at this point. The use of the enlarged fixed agitator driving head makes it impossible to drop the shaft through its upper bearin necessitating the removal of a considera le portion of the driving mechanism to get at this shaft for repairs or other reasons.

One 'of the objects of my invention is to rovide a drive shaft and bearing assembly or a washing machine agitator that may be connected thereto.

\\noxEsrIc WASHING MACHINES washing machine agitator that has packing v means whichautomatically adjusts itself to weir maintaining at al1 times a fluid tight sea Stated in general terms, my invention consists of a provision of a stub Shaft and bearing with packing for a washing machine agitator, assemkbled as a unit which may be readily inserted or removed from the washer. An enlarged tapered splined head is cast on the end of the shaft and is adapted to register with a complementary opening, or cavity formed in the agitator.

The advantages of this arrangement are first, due to the splined and tapered driving head, the agitator, at all times is tightly The automatic take-up for the shaftpacking removesthe necessity of constantly tightening up the/ packing to prevent the escaping of water around the shaft. By constructing the shaft and bearing as a un-it which may be installed or removed from the top of machine, without disturbing any of the other mechanisms, a great deal of time and labor is saved in constructing the machines in the first place, and in subsequent repairs.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become more fully a parent as the description thereof proceeds and will then be more specifically defined in the appended claims.v In the accompanying drawings, forming the material part of this disclosure:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing my invention as applied to the conventional washing machine of the gyrator type. l

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view, in section, of the drive shaft bearing, agitator connection and associated elements.

The washing machine shown in Figure 1 comprises a tub 1, enclosing an agitator 2, which is supported in driving' relation on a shaft 3. The shaft 3 is provided with a pinion 4 which meshes with a suitable rack, not shown, carried by or formed on the rod 5 which is in turn connected in driving rela-- tion to the eccentric 6. The eccentric 6 is rigidly secured to a hollow shaft 7, that is in turn connected to a driving motor. In this manner the power from the motor is transmitted to the shaft 7, which by means of the eccentric 6, transmits a reciprocating motion to the rod 5, which in turn oscillates theshaft 3 and the agitator 2, which is detachably secured thereto. The agitator 2 is provlded with-a hole 8 to permit Ithe escape of air from under the agitator, s\o that it may not be floated off. The driving head 9 is shown as a casting, which is molded 'onthe knurled end 12 of the shaft 3 aid is thus permanently fixed thereto. By this arrangement a large drivingv head ma be used adding considerably to the life o the machine,vand at the same time reducing the cost, as a comparatively small diameter'shaft may be used. The driving lhead 9 is received in a suitable recess provided in the agitator 2, said' head and recess being formed with complementary interitting driving'projections 10 and 11.

The driving mechanism is enclosed in a.

ear box 24 locatedbeneath 'the' tub and aving any desired shape. Carried by the top face of this gear box is a hollowr ttingv 16, the upper end 16a of which projects through the tub bottom wh1ch,is secured thereto in fluid tight relation by meansV of a lock nut 17 and gasket 18. The bore of this fitting opens into .the gear box at the bottom and into the tub at the top, and removably mounted in this bore is a hollow sleeve 15 which carries the .bearings for the shaft 3. This sleeve is arranged to beat tached and removed from the top and is secured in place by suitable means such as the screws 14 located in the flange 15 and entering the end 16a and so arranged as to be accessible past the head 9. The'pinion 4 is made smaller than this sleeve 15 so. as-

to enable the sleeve and shaft to be inserted and removed as a unit without the need of detaching the pinion from the shaft. This is particularly important when a permanent the upper end of the sleeve 15 as provided.

with a removable upper bearing 13 having ailange 13a` overlapping the end of the sleeve 15 and held in place by the same screws 14. Also, to prevent leakage I have shown the lower portion of lthe sleeve 15 below the' bearing z 13 -as provided with packing 21, of conventional type.

A washer 20 is provided below the packing 21. and is pushed thereaganst by means o' adapted for the reception of a grease cup or other lubiicating device, and on the other side with passages 20 in the bearing 13 to enable the lubricant to reach the shaft 3.

The power plant, ,'WriDger, control devices and other' features necessary to the operation of a washing machine are not here specifically shown or described as they are not essential to the disclosure of this invention. It will be apparent from the foregoing description that when itris desired to remove the shaft 3, or gear 4 from thewasher, all

that is re uired to be done is to pick up and remove t e agitator 2, then remove the screws 14, andthe shaft 3 and gear 4 along withthe bearing 13 and packing means may beremoved as a unit from the washer, without disturbing the tub or any'other mech` anism, and withouto ening the gear box so as to allow leakage o its contents. This arrangement greatly facilitates the removal and repair'of the aforementioned parts and is of such A,construction that 2it may be used with manyother types of washers and other appliances in addition to the washer shown,

which was selected merely for illustratingv this device.

It is to be understood that while I have described and shownthe preferred form of my invention as an example, such changes' may bemade therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thej spirit of the invention principle involved. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is: v Y y 1. Ina washing machine, a tub, a fitting secured in the bottom thereof, an agitating device in the tub, ay drive shaft therefor, an

and the enlar ed driving head rigidly carried by lsaid s aft to provide a detachablel connection for said'agitating device, a bearing nov ino

sleeve for said shaft detachably secured in said fitting, a pinion carried by said shaft and having a dlameter smaller than that of' said bearing sleeve, said sleeve and shaftand head and pinion being detachable and removable from above, and' means for detachably `securing said bearing sleeve to said fitting.

2. In a washing machine, a tub, a fitting lsecured to the bottom thereof in leak-tight relation, said fitting having a bore Aopening into said tub, an avitating devicein sai tub, a drive shaft therefor, means for detachably connecting said agltating device to said shaft, a bearing sleeve for said shaft detachably secured to said fitting, a pinion carried byl said shaft, said pinion having a diameter smaller than said bore, and means for detachably securing said sleeve to -the top of said fitting whereby said sleeve and shaft and pinion can be removed from said fitting upwardly through said tub.

3. In a washing machine, a tub having an apertured bottom, a fitting secured to said bottom in leak-tight relation, said fitting having a bore therethrough which registers with said aperture, a bearing sleeve detachably secured to said fitting, an operating shaft mounted in said bearing sleeve, and an operating element carried by the lower end of said shaft, the diameter of said element being less than that of said bore whereby said shaft and sleeve and element can be removed upwardly through said tub.

4. Driving mechanism for a washing machine comprising a tting having -a bore therethrough, a bearing sleeve detachably secured to said fitting, a drive-shaft journaled in said sleeve, and a pinion carried by said shaft, said pinion having a diameter smaller than said bore.

5. In a washing machine, a tub having an aperture in its bottom, a gear-box located beneath said tub, a fitting projecting from said gear-box and secured in leaktight relation to said tub bottom, said fitting having a vertical bore therein registering with said opening and opening into said gear-box,- a bearing sleeve located in said fitting, an operating shaft journaled in said bearing sleeve, a pinion carried by the lower end of said shaft, means for securing a washing element to the upper end of said shaft, Gand means for securing said sleeve to the top of said fitting, the diameter of said pinion being less than that of said' bore to permit said shaft, bearing sleeve, and pinion to be applied and removed vertically through the top of said fitting.

6. In a Washing machine, a tub, a fitting connected in leak-tight relation to the bottom of said tub and having a recess opening into said tub, abearing member detachably secured to the top of said fitting, a removable operating member mounted in said bearing member, an agitating element secured to the upper end of said member, and an operating element secured to the lower end of said member, said last named element being smaller than the recess in said fitting so as to enable said member and bearing and operating element to be removed and replaced as a unit.

7. In a washing machine, al fitting having a longitudinal bore therethrough, means for securlng said fitting to the bottom of a tub with said bore opening into said tub, a hollow bearing -sleeve detachably mounted` in said fitting and means for seeurin said bearing sleeve to the top of said fitting so as to be removed from above, said bearing sleeve being formed for the reception of a' chine comprising a shaft, an enlarged driving head formed on one end of said shaft,

a pinion carried by said 'shaft adjacent to its other end, a bearin cated between said driving head and pinion and a hollow fitting surrounding and supportingsaid bearing, said pinion being smaller than the exterior of said bearing.

l0. In a washing machine, atub having an aperture in its bottom, a fitting secured in leak-tight relation to the tub bottom and having a bore registering with said aperture, a bearing detachably secured to said fitting in line with the bore therein, a drive shaft journaled in said bearing, a connecting element carried by the end of said shaft, a packing element carried by said bearing, and self-contained means carried by said bearing for automatically adjusting said packing, said bearing and shaft and connecting element being removable from lsaid fitting as a unit.

11. An operating device comprising, in combination, a gear-box, a hollow fitting vprojecting therefrom and having a bore therethrough which opens into said gearbox, a bearing detachably secured to said fitting in line with the bore therein, a movable member mounted in said bearing, and a driving element secured to said member inside said gear-box, said element being smaller than said bore to enable said member and element and bearing to be removed.

12. A` fluid container, a rotatable shaft projecting in said container, a pair of enlarged driving members rigidly secured to said shaft at a point adjacent each end thereof, a bearing and fluid packing means cooperating with said shaft between said driving mem ers, and means to removably secure said bearing to said fiuid container.

13. A fluid container, a rotatable vshaft projecting in said container, a pair of enlarged driving members rigidly secured to said shaft. at la point adjacent each end 'for said shaft lo-' thereof, a, bearingand self adjlstin sai .shaft uuid Backing means cooperating wit etween said drivlng members, and means Ito removablyv secure said bearing to, sa,id

uid container.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ax my signature. e

' WALTER A. FRAN TZ. 

